Welcome
to the Swedish capital Stockholms railroading section. Stockholm uses a
number of different rail systems, some are brand new while others date
back over a century. Also the improvements to existing systems are
active, upgrades added every year.

A great view to the structure of the
articulated TGV
trailers on this TGV Lyria's (TGV's for traffic
between Switzerland and France) TGV-PSE unit number 47 at
Bellegarde France. Notice the faded "TGV 25 Ans " (years) logo on the
nose of the train. In France the super high speed period has lasted
already for well over a quarter of a century! Picture by Ilkka Siissalo
2007.

An
SNCF TGV-PSE double unit in it's original colors somewhere in
France.

The 109 built TGV-PSE (Paris-Sud-Est = Paris
to South
East) units were the very first production type of the Alstom TGVs.
They were also the train that started the infamous TGV saga we know
today. The 92 units of the initial order were originally
painted
bright orange / blue / red livery and were only painted to current SNCF
super high speed gray and blue around year 2000 when the units were
refurbished. Most of these units will soon again be refurbished and
rebuilt for another 15 years in daily service. The TGV-PSE truly is a
proof of concept that these trains are both durable and safe!

Picture: An orange-blue-white colored double
TGC-PSE
unit on line in 1987. Picture by Pekka Siiskonen 1987.

TGV-PSE
Usage The
first generation TGV-trains were first used for super high speed
traffic from 1981 between Paris and Lyon in France. While the super
high speed line was built between these two major French cities, the
trains routes radiated much further. The travel time between Paris and
Lyon was slashed from 6 hours to 2 hours so all the routes that could
use TGV and this first high speed line benefited from the novelty.

Nowadays the TGV-PSE units can be found most anywhere on the
French
networks and some Swiss destinations.

Running
the TGV-PSE in Switzerland: The swiss 15kV 16,66 Hz AC system can't
provide enough power for the 1st generation TGV's electrical system to
run at their maximum speed and thus the speed is reduced to around 200
km/h. As a careful observer, you may notice that this means the French
older 1500V DC system is insufficiet for higher speeds needs as well.
However, the 1500V in France is only used around bigger cities and
traditional lines with no capability to super high speed (>275
km/h)
operations. All the super high speed LGV's (Lignes à Grande Vitesse)
are equipped with the newer 25kV 50-60 Hz AC.

TGV-PSE
Technology After decades of intense research many
technical
details were still conservative on these production vehicles. I.e.
traditional DC traction motors were used and the suspension system for
passenger trailers was
originally provided with !springs! instead of the later used
pressurized air. Tried and traditional was also the choise to use
locomotive at both ends of thew train instead of the Shinkansen
style power distribution. Partly this was probabaly made on
safety concerns, the TGV's have proven to be the safest high
speed trains. While the heavy locomotives plow anything away from the
rails if necessary, the articulated articulated trailers structure
prevent the train from zigzagigging which would always be fatal to the
passengers.

The trains have
served well and were the needed important
first step for the success of the TGV type trains. The TGV-PSE units
were rebuilt around year 2000 and repainted to the current SNCF
blue-silver-gray high speed colours. Rebuilding also meant upgrading
the speed to the 300 km/h / 186 mph (from the original 270
km/h /
168 mph) for most units after the TVM430 train control system was
added. Being a great success as the production super
high speed train almost all of the TGV-PSE's are still in their
original revenue earning use around France and Switzerland.

> blue
and gray, (postal services unit(s) yellow), > more
boxy look
than on the Reseau/Atlantique models otherwise quite similar. >
Above the driver roof and the body of the locomotive there is an easily
noticeable step. This can not be found otherwise at first look similar
TGV-A. > The first bogies of the
coaches are
powered (unlike in the following evolution versions).

Notes on TGV-Paris Sud-Est trains
Unit incidents,
happenings
and changes-> TGV-PSE Unit 16
set the
1981 speed record of 380 km/h and has a plate commemorating this. See
our High
Speed Records Page for details... ->
TGV-PSE
Unit 38 was converted to a third La Poste TGV set in
1993/1994/1995 (depending on the source of the information ;) forming 2
half units. (MB)->
TGV-PSE Unit 46
hit a
truck with the huge concrete mixer stuck on the
level crossing near the Swiss border late 2007. The train speed just
before the accident was fortunately just 100 km/h (65 mph). Although
the truck driver was killed (as the truck was torn apart), the engineer
and some passengers were 'just' injured in a huge collision. The TGV
unit 46
suffered major damage on its forward locomotive and the whole unit
derailed. As with previous derailments, the TGV safety features
prevented any major accident from happening (the train stayed aligned
in spite of derailment and the locomotives collision structure
protected the engineer). At first it was thought that SNCF
could
borrow the locomotive from La Poste's vacant half unit to get the unit
running
again, but later it was reported that the unit 46 was towed very slowly
for repairs or storage. One of the alternatives is that this would be
the first cargo TGV-unit or the third La Poste unit, as it is unsure
whether repairs will cost so much (TGV-PSE's are at the end of their
lifecycle with just 10-15 years remaining in active duty) that it would
be
wiser to order new TGV-Dasy, AGV or similar unit instead. March 2009
SNCF
unweiled plans to repair this unit too as a part of the TGV-PSE
rebuilding program.->
TGV-PSE Unit 60
was
involved in the accident in Dijon at the end of year 2006. ->
TGV-PSE Unit 70
hit a
special road transport of 80 tons at the level
corossing in Voiron and was severely damaged in 1988. The engineer and
one passenger died as a result (only casulties in the era of the
TGVs). Power car and 3 trailers were
destroyed and the rest of the train was used as a spare. (MB)->
TGV-PSE Unit 88
was used
for TGV-Atlantique testing and later renumbered as TGV-PSE Unit 118
(so the
number 88 is missing from the roster). ->
TGV-PSE
Unit 99 newer existed! ->
TGV-PSE unit 101
was
for years (from 1997 to 2000) used as a test lab
for the tilting technology as a TGV P-01. After the extensive tests
were completed in the middle of the year 2000 the unit 101 was returned
back to normal service without the tilting capacity. Tilting tests were
started with Fiat Ferroviaria tilting mechanics but later replaced by
(the French said more robust, advanced and cheaper) Alstoms own tilting
technology. Interestingly this technology is said also to be used in
the
most recent Pendolino units. Alstom
also acquired Fiat Ferroviaria years ago so some of the issues might be
solved that way now. The tested tilting technology was most
likely used first time on the Amtrak Acela tilting TGV like units in
the
Northeastern U.S.A. from 2004. ->
TGV-PSE
Units 112 and 114 are in Swiss SBB/CFF ownership since
1993 and
2005 as a part of TGV-Lyria fleet. Future-> The
SNCF
unweiled plans in march 2009 to rebuild the complete line of 107
TGV-PSEs to match todays needs. No details on the program are published
so far, but the price is estimated to be 150 million euros. SNCF
expects the original TGV manufacturer Alstom, German super high speed
manufacturer Siemens AG and the large international railroad rolling
stock manufacturer Bombardier among 2 others to take part in the
competition for the deal. It would be easy to imagine that all the 214
locomotives, 1391 bogies, all the obsolidated technology to be replaced
or completely rebuilt while preserving the structure of the locomotives
and trailers where possible. Top speed might be incresed to 320 km/h
ofr higher to match that of the newer TGV units. The reason for the
rebuilding program most likely is need for additional units (seems to
be permanent state for SNCF due to strong demand of super high speed
services) and the attractive price tag compared with the new unit
acquisition.

History->
La Poste (the French
National Postal Services) has 2,5 TGV-PSE units for its express mail
services. These units have not been cleared for 300km/h operations like
the all the SNCF TGV-PSEs were after the refurbishing. Maximum speed
for TGV La Poste is 270 km/h, still quite sufficient for the parcel and
freight operations and suitable for beating the airlines in the
distances of under 1000 kilometers! ->
All SNCF TGV-PSE's were refurbished around the
year 2000. The infamous orange-white-blue livery was painted
silver-gray-blue and interiors of the trailers were upgraded. Also some
standardization on the seating scemes were made. The maximum speed was
raised from 270 km/h to 300 km/h matching that of the newer Atlantique
and Réseau units and the standard minimum speed for the French super
high speed lines, the LGVs.->
It's probable that
the future of the TGV-PSE units is in the "quieter" routes and new
markets to give room to more spacious double decked TGV-Duplex,
TGV-Hybrid and TGV-Dasy units. Or some of the unit might be adapted to
fast freight use if the market for that is found "interesting". The TGV
Manufacturer Alstom has had plans for the super fast freight units for
decades. -> The
TGV units (mostly TGV-PSE) trafficing to Switzerland from France are
called with the brand name "TGV Lyria". The TGV Lyria stop in
Switzerland at: Basel, Zurich, Sargans, Landquart, Chur,
Pontarlier, Neuchatel, Bern, Vallorbe, Lausanne, Montreaux, Aigle,
Martigny, Sion, Siders, Leuk, Visp, Brig and Geneva (end 2008
information from TGV Lyria). Some of the Lyria TGV units are owned by
the Swiss SBB/CFF.

The newer meets the old, the age of the
original
TGV design shows well in this picture. The TGV Duplex on the left unit
number 208 and a TGV-PSE on the right.

TGV-PSE
in its original attractive orange-blue-white
livery. Picture in Lyon France by Pekka Siiskonen
1983.

A
pair of TGV-PSE units dashing on the LGV high speed line between Paris
and Lyon in 1987. Picture by Pekka Siiskonen.

The
panning of the camera shows an interesting view on
the automatic couplers of the orange colored TGV-PSE units. Picture by
Pekka Siiskonen.

Inside
the second class of the brand new TGV-PSE
trailer. Looks quite aschetic compared to todays interiors. Picture by
Pekka Siiskonen 1983.

The TGV-PSE unit
117, here seen in Zurich Switzerland is built with trivoltage
electricity systems (25kV 50-60 Hz AC + 1500V DC + 15kV 16,66 Hz
AC) to enable it to reach both France and Switzerland. In
Europe there is no such thing as a common electrical system although
for the newer implementions of the 25kV 50 Hz AC seems to be highly
popular.
Picture by Ilkka Siissalo.

In the picture on the left the TGV Paris
Sud-Est unit
95 seen at Gare du Nord in Summer 2009. Notice the newer reddish SNCF
logo on the locomotive nose. Picture by Robert
Forsstrom.